


The Fall of Trinity

by Super_Danvers



Category: Kong: Skull Island (2017), Tomb Raider (Movie 2018)
Genre: Alicia Vikander - Freeform, Brie Larson - Freeform, F/F, Gay, James Conrad - Freeform, Lara Croft - Freeform, Skull Island, Tomb Raider, crackship, explorer girlfriends, i dont know, kong - Freeform, kong set in the modern day, mason weaver - Freeform, richard croft - Freeform, tom hiddleston - Freeform, tomb raider sequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-22
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-24 03:05:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18562630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Super_Danvers/pseuds/Super_Danvers
Summary: When Lara Croft sets out to find Trinity, she joins an expedition to the island of Cayo - where Trinity's suspected headquarters lie. Aboard the Stamina, Lara finds herself in the friendly company of Mason Weaver, a former journalist from the Kong expedition and an unlikely bond forms between the two.





	The Fall of Trinity

Lara Croft nearly broke her ankle the day she’d met Mason Weaver.

It was two months after she’d left the memory of Himiko and her father behind, returning to the UK to take the official lead of Croft Manor. Of course, her stay hadn’t lasted long as she’d dug into the family records, and discovered the details of Ana Miller being a part of Trinity. So, from there, she’d done more research and was now beginning her journey to bring down the corrupt organisation.

Cayo was her destination. It was a small island, just off the south coast of Africa, and was apparently the headquarters of Trinity. That’s what her father’s records told her. Not that they mattered anymore – they’d all been burned in the fireplace at Croft Manor. She’d left Lu in charge, trusting only him and Sophie to be in her home: and then set off.

Lara had tried to play it cool, tried to board the boat with as much elegance as a Croft her age could muster. It hadn’t worked. Nobody had thought to warn her about the weighted rope all over the floor: something that shouldn’t have been there. Due to this lack of warning, Lara was sent stumbling across the deck – where she tripped over a bucket. Unlike the first time she’d managed to stay upright, the bucket was ultimately her maker. It sent her from stumbling to sprawling in a matter of seconds. Finally, after about ten metres of tripping over herself and other objects, she came to a messy stop in a heap amongst some fishing nets and lobster pots. Luckily for Lara, there wasn’t enough crew around for it to be the talk of the voyage. Unfortunately, there was one person who wasn’t going to let her forget.

Tangled amongst the nets, Lara tried to struggle into an upright position, the duffel bag on her back-digging in. When that failed, she heard determined footsteps then felt strong hands suddenly pulling her upwards and standing her on the deck properly.

“That was impressive.”

The voice was female, that was the first thing Lara noted. In honesty, she felt a little dizzy from being wrenched up so quickly, so her vision took a moment to catch up. Once it did, she was pretty sure her vision was still spinning.

The woman stood in front of her was, well, bloody stunning. That’s how Sophie would put it when she’d notice Lara checking out other fighters in the gym. Long, wavy golden-brown hair framed a gentle face with chocolate eyes and a dimpled smile. From head to toe, the woman was clad in an almost a military style look. She wore a three-quarter sleeve beige jacket, matching trousers and a dark blue half-sleeve turtleneck shirt with knee length lace up boots. Lara thought she looked like an actor out of Jurassic Park.

On her wrists, Lara spied a bracelet made of wooden prayer beads, some of them with turquoise accents dotted on for decoration. On the other, a golden watch rested on the bone of her wrist – it almost looked to big for it. Around the woman’s neck was a basic string, holding a small silver ring just below her collarbone and another ring was donned on the index finger of her right hand.

Lara must’ve been staring at the newcomer for too long because she suddenly felt the deep brown eyes staring right at her.

The brunette shook her head. “Sorry, uh, thanks.” She managed. The blonde had made her forget what she was supposed to say. With a flustered exhale, Lara straightened the duffel bag hastily.

It seemed to amuse the blonde to see the traveller look so unsettled, a grin covering her face. With a small laugh, the woman stuck out her hand. “Mason Weaver. Photographer.” She introduced coolly. Lara noticed she spoke with an American accent, but softer and quieter.

The brunette studied the outstretched hand for a second before returning it, shaking it firmly. Mason noticed how Lara looked doubtful, and how she didn’t introduce herself. However, the friendly smile didn’t falter – because she was one step ahead.

“You must be my roommate for the voyage.” Mason added, producing a piece of paper from her pocket and inspecting it quickly. “Lara Croft?”

Lara pursed her lips, a little embarrassed. She’d hoped to not get to know anyone on her trip out to this new island where Trinity was supposedly working from. Evidently that plan was already out the window. She kicked the sides of her boots nervously. “Yeah, yeah, that’s me.” She replied quietly.

By no means was Lara a shy person, only that she preferred to keep her private life, well, private. Mason seemed to notice this too as she inspected the traveller up and down. “Anyway, are you okay? You kinda took a tumble.” She noted, gesturing to the heap of nets and pots behind her.

Lara nodded. “I’m fine, my ankle hurts a little.” She responded, calming down a little now. Mason seemed to be no threat – although Lara kept her guard up. The brunette straightened her duffel bag again. “Do you know where our room is?”

The ship they stood on was large, especially for a voyage ship. To Lara, it felt for like a war boat. With Mason nodding and gesturing for her to follow, the young Croft pretended not to notice the battleship guns jutting out the sides as she glanced over the edge of the boat. It was named ‘Stamina’ almost like Lu’s boat, Lara thought. It was bustling with people, mostly soldiers and other members of the expedition. The canteen area was still being unloaded, she noticed, as Mason led her past and down more and more corridors. All the walls were grey, the same military steel as the dog tags that hung around men’s necks, and lit up by the overbearing lights above. It was like a psych ward but somehow more depressing.

Eventually, after Lara felt like she’d walked a half-marathon, the two women came to a stop outside a grey door marked ‘264’. Mason opened the door for Lara, letting her walk in first. The Croft rose an eyebrow. She’d stayed in bigger jail cells. Consisting of nine feet by six feet, the tiny room had steel bunk beds with hospital blue duvets and a metal chest of drawers at the end of them. A mirror hung on the wall above a small sink. Mason had already shoved a black duffel bag and a backpack underneath the bottom bunk but she gestured to the chest of drawers.

“I figured you could have those for your spare clothes and – uh…” She gestured to Lara’s other bag which dangled from her belt. “- whatever is in there.”

This time Lara managed to return a smile. “Bow.” She answered, hauling her duffel bag onto the top bunk. But, unlike most people, Mason didn’t seem completely impressed with that. Instead she offered a smaller, more reserved smile. “Something wrong?” Lara questioned, noticing the doubtful look on her face.

Mason waved a dismissive hand. “No, nothing.” She pointed to herself. “Pacifist.”

Lara clicked her tongue. “Ah.” She replied. “Well, I don’t shoot anyone unless it’s self-defence.” She attempted in a reassuring tone, removing her other bag and hanging it on the end of her bunk.

Mason waved her hand again, shaking her head with a kind look. “You don’t have to defend yourself to me, Croft.” She lifted up her shirt a little, revealing a small dagger with an American flag sticker on the end of its handle, tucked into a brown leather sheath.

Lara only glanced at the knife. Seeing it reminded her of those boys that had chased her around the docks of Hong Kong. Although it was present, Lara was starting to eliminate Mason’s possibility as a threat. She was too – _honest_. Instead, the brunette just shrugged and leaned against her bunk. “You can call me Lara.”

That seemed to perk up the blonde’s mood. “Awesome. So, did you get hired by James?”

Lara shook her head, having no clue who ‘James’ was. “No.” She answered with a coy smile. “More of, they needed extra funding and I needed a trip to Cayo.”

Mason grinned at that. “That’s good. I wasn’t hired either, I shoved my way on last time.” She explained, trying to pass it off as a casual shrug. Lara could tell she was proud of herself though. Mason dug into her duffel bag, pulling it out from underneath the bunk, and unveiled a large brown camera. She held it up proudly. “Anti-war photographer.”

Lara studied the camera in her hand inquisitively. “Is that-?”

“A Leica M3 with an attached Leicameter MC? Sure is.” Mason held the camera up to her face, and a blinding flash lit up the room. It caught Lara’s stunned face perfectly and hilariously. She lowered it, putting it back onto her bunk. “You know cameras?”

Lara shrugged. “Not really. My dad used to like taking pictures instead of running the family business.” She commented, a hint of fondness in her tone as she remembered her father. She missed him a great deal, but she knew he’d be proud of her.

Mason lifted her camera again and this time Lara just returned a peace sign, making the photographer chuckle quietly. “I can relate. My father-“

The conversation was brought to a sudden halt as the doorway was suddenly darkened by a tall figure. It was a man, dressed in white shirt and black trousers. His face, made gaunt by the harsh lighting was covered by an auburn scruff – the short hair on the top of his head almost a light blonde colour to it.

“Weaver, there you are.” The man sounded relieved to see the photographer, his English accent heavy with exhaustion. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

Lara watched the observation between the two of them. Mason looked just as relieved as the man did and after a second, the two embraced in a strong hug. She rested her head on his shoulder whilst he visibly deflated into her grip.

“I thought I’d never see you again.” She murmured quietly.

The two parted after a moment, regarding each other silently. Mason was studying the man’s features, as was he to her. When Lara cleared her throat, both seemed to be pulled out of their reveries. Mason pulled Lara over.

“Lara Croft, meet Captain James Conrad.” She introduced, standing Lara in front of the taller man.

Lara glanced him up and down, sizing up how much of a threat he was. A gun was slung over his shoulder, and a dagger was fixed at his belt. He had strong arms and around his left wrist he also had a wooden prayer bead bracelet – although not as many as Mason. There was a large scar on his right arm that looked like some huge beast had scratched him. Lara put him on her ‘ones to watch’ list.

She could tell he was studying her as well. His eyes, a deep blue, were scanning Lara up and down, occasionally stealing glances at her bags. Once he seemed satisfied, he nodded.

“Good to meet you.” He murmured. His tone wasn’t unfriendly, Lara noticed, but it wasn’t exactly warm either. “You’re Richard’s daughter, right?”

Lara’s ears pricked at that. “Yes, did you know him?”

James glanced her up and down again. “Not really. He expressed an interest in hiring me as a tracker for an island named Yamatai a few years ago, then backed out two weeks before.” He mentioned. “How is he? Seemed like an okay kind of guy.”

Lara faltered. “He’s dead.” She answered bluntly. Lara knew of her father’s paranoia surrounding Yamatai and Himiko, knew he had trusted absolutely nobody. For him to drop the captain from his plan alerted some alarm bells in Lara’s head.

Conrad looked uncomfortable with Lara’s bluntness, and so answered with a simple. “Sorry to hear that.” He turned to Mason. “Could I talk to you outside please?”

“Sure thing.” The blonde answered casually, although she looked over her shoulder at Lara on her way out. “Will you be okay with your foot?” She asked, glancing at Lara’s hurt ankle.

“Um, yeah. I’ll just rest it.” Lara replied, unused to people asking how she was. Nobody ever actually cared, but there was something about the way Mason looked her up and down that made her feel safer, somehow. She nodded to the blonde politely, waiting until she walked out of the door with Conrad so she could exhale and relax.

But Lara had no intention of resting her wincing foot.

Instead, Lara made a shadow in the doorway to their cell, inclining her head just right so that she could see Conrad and Mason disappear at the end of the corridor. Once she was satisfied they were out of sight, Lara delved into her duffel bag and produced her father’s old tape recorder, one of her only surviving items from her adventure in Yamatai. She perched at the end of Mason’s bunk and raised it to her mouth, the back of her hand pressed to the edge of her lips.

“Note one, do not trust Captain James Conrad. Offered employment by Dad then dropped two weeks before Himiko.” She noted to herself. Lara hadn’t brought much of Lord Richard Croft home to England with her. What hadn’t been destroyed on Endurance’s crash, or Himiko’s collapse, had been stored safely in her father’s secret room at Croft Manor.

Now she only carried his kiss on her forehead, his old dagger, and his tape recorder with his initials scratched into the back.

Lara stood up again, checking herself in the mirror. She looked tired now compared to the four hours previous when she’d left home. She’d already changed her clothes since she’d left. Instead of a flannel shirt, Lara now wore a black under armour shirt that reached past her hand at the sleeves and emphasised her abs in the sun. Her hair was in a dual pipe braid, ending at her hairline so the rest of her stressed hair flared out beyond her shoulders. Sophie had joked that she looked like Aloy out of that Horizon Zero Dawn video game when Lara had donned her leather jacket and slung her bow across her back.

In conclusion, Lara was starting to look more like a Croft than she never had before.

+

Looking left and right, making sure the coast was clear, Lara slipped out into the corridor and followed where Mason had disappeared. The moment she turned out of the corridor, Lara mentally kicked herself. Instead of checking herself in the mirror, she should’ve pursued Conrad and Mason quicker because now she had no idea where they were. The Stamina was like a bloody maze, she thought to herself, as she followed endless corridors that lead to nowhere round and round the boat. Her ankle was hurting more and more and although she was used to pain, she hadn’t planned on obtaining an injury until she’d gotten off the boat. Lara was beginning to think she was lost when a familiar voice could be heard around the corner of another corridor.

 _“How can I not trust her? We’re going to be sharing a cell for the next four days!”_ Mason’s voice bounced off the walls and into Lara’s ears. Her new acquaintance sounded defiant, but no angry. Outraged, Lara would put it.

The next voice she heard belonged to Conrad. _“Because her father was a complete lunatic. She can’t be trusted, Weaver_.” He spoke in a low hiss, evidently unhappy with the Croft’s presence. _“She’s not even part of the expedition, this is just her ride.”_

 _“We are not our parents; you and I both know that better than anyone.”_ Mason’s strong reply came as Lara inched herself closer and closer to the corner of their corridor. This time she sounded angrier. _“-and I wasn’t part of the expedition for Kong: not officially. Neither were you.”_

Conrad scoffed, and Lara could practically hear him put his hands on his hips. _“So, what? You’re trusting a complete stranger over me? We’ve been friends for four years, Weaver!”_ He snarled.

Lara didn’t want her answer, and so picked her point to come around the corner. Their conversation stopped immediately the moment they spotted Lara. Mason was stood with her back to Lara, facing up at Conrad with tensed shoulders. Her beige jacket had been tied around her waist and she’d fixed her hair back into a high ponytail. Noticing Conrad was looking over her head, the blonde turned around. When she saw Lara, she looked a little worried, immediately focusing on her foot.

“Lara – I thought you were resting.” She said, ignoring Conrad’s attempts to continue conversation.

Lara glanced at her foot and shrugged. “Oh, I, uh, got hungry.” She lied sheepishly although in all fairness, she was starving.

Conrad frowned at that. “Then why are you down here? The cafeteria is in the East Wing.” He gestured with his thumb at the wall, implying they were in the west wing of the boat.  

Lara shrugged again. “They didn’t give me a map of the boat.”

Mason returned a small smile. “I didn’t think you’d need a map to find anything.” She remarked, checking the traveller up and down. “C’mon, I’ll show you where the canteen is. I’ll see you later, James.”

As Mason took Lara by the shoulder, her tone to Conrad left no room for argument – and so he stalked away whilst the two women headed in the opposite direction down the corridor.

“Stamina leaves dock in twenty minutes.” He mentioned over his shoulder. “Make sure you have everything you need on board.”

Mason lead Lara through numerous hallways and holdings until they finally reached the canteen they’d passed by earlier. They’d walked in silence, the only words they spoke was Mason asking if Lara’s ankle hurt to which the brunette would reply with a simple ‘fine’. Like earlier, the eating hall was still being stocked and loaded into large walk-in freezers.

“You go find a table and I’ll see if I can get us anything.” Mason muttered, leaving Lara by herself and padding over to the lunch trays.

The canteen was a little busier than it was before – now occupied by a couple of sailors moving ice boxes from trolleys to the walk-in freezers. Catering staff were taking inventory behind the counters, dressed in their black and white chequered aprons with matching hats. Some soldiers, wearing the usual khaki uniform, were also milling around – joking with each other.

As Lara wobbled – her ankle was hurting more now – to a table, her eyes focused only on Mason. She watched as the photographer took a lunch tray, but regarded the soldiers over her shoulder. She seemed to be trying to identify them, angling her head up and down, trying to look at their faces. Lara didn’t say anything until Mason had managed to bribe two yoghurts and a couple of orange juices from the catering staff and had sat down opposite her.

“Looking for someone?” She questioned, taking one of the yoghurts. Lara didn’t play long games anymore, if she wanted to know something – she’d simply ask. She gestured to the soldiers with her plastic spoon when Mason looked confused.

The photographer shook her head. “Not really, just wondering if I’d recognise anyone.” She answered, opening up her own yoghurt. Mason directed her spoon at the yoghurt, but then stopped, sighed and put it back down. “I’m guessing you know about the Kong expedition?”

Lara shrugged. “Heard about it.” She replied. “You were on it?”

Mason nodded but didn’t elaborate on it, contentedly slurping the yoghurt off of her spoon. Lara let it go, brushing it off as something perhaps her new roommate wasn’t comfortable with. She couldn’t say she completely cared about strangers and whatever they were feeling – but something about Mason was different. Usually, Lara didn’t really take in people’s appearances nor did she get distracted by them but there was just something about Mason that had her on edge – and she’d only known her for half an hour.

Lara noticed everything about the photographer: the way she spun her spoon between her thumb and first finger, the way her hair cascaded around her shoulders when she let it down again and the uncomfortable tug she’d do at the top of her turtleneck. Lara kept it all in her mind.

She didn’t even notice Mason had spoke until she felt her eyes looking at her expectedly. “Sorry, what?”

Mason chuckled, and her eyes made dimples as they scrunched up, Lara noticed. The blonde spun her spoon again. “I said, is there anyone you wanna say goodbye to?” She gestured to the deck above. “I can help you back to the deck if you want.”

Lara nodded. “There is actually.”

“Oh?”

The brunette took a mouthful of yoghurt. “Yeah, I said goodbye to a friend before I got on –“

“Before you stumbled on.” Mason corrected with a teasing smile.

Lara rolled her eyes, returning the playful tone. “Yeah, yeah, okay – _fell_ on.” She sighed. “No, my friend Sophie got me here. She might still be waiting at the docks to wave me off. It’s stupid.” She muttered, suddenly feeling very embarrassed.

But Mason was quick to dismiss, putting her spoon down with a soft clatter. “Not at all. I wish my friends had been waiting for me to get home.” She replied honestly. “You know, had a family with two brothers and a mom and dad – not one of them waiting for me when I got off that boat.”

Lara nodded her understanding. “Mm yeah, maybe that’s why she came with me. I didn’t exactly say goodbye last time I left.” She mentioned, remembering her arrival back to London.

Mason didn’t say anything, but the way she looked at Lara said it all. There was hurt behind her eyes, as if she was remembering something herself, and suddenly Lara was regretting what she’d said. Not because of Sophie, but because the face Mason had made. It made Lara feel awful.

The blonde shook her head and exhaled. “Anyway, you want to go and wave goodbye?” She asked, trying to perk up her tone.

Lara took a last mouthful of her yoghurt before nodding. “Mhm, let’s go.” Her wince must’ve been evident as she tried to stand because she suddenly felt an arm hook around her waist and hoist her up.

The photographer didn’t smile as she felt Lara’s eyes watching her. “Figured you needed a hand.” She mumbled.

“Thanks.” Lara replied gratefully, hopping slightly to find her footing. She was starting to be glad for Mason’s presence.

+

 

The two headed back to the deck in silence, save for Mason thanking the odd soldier or two for opening doors for them. By the time they got there, the boat was just about to leave. Conrad was stood at the bow, watching sullenly over the water. Lara leaned herself on the edge so Mason wouldn’t have to hold her up. Scanning her keen eyes amongst the families of leaving soldiers, picking Sophie out wasn’t too hard. Standing there, right at the edge of the loading pier, with both arms waving and a smile that could light up a sun – her best friend beamed when Lara spotted her. She was shouting, but Lara could barely hear her over the noise of the boat’s whirring engines.

“I’ll see...you soon!” Sophie managed, still waving wildly as she tried to move closer to the boat by merging through the crowds.

Lara laughed, waving back at her whilst trying to keep an eye on where she was. Stamina was pulling away now, and the engines were getting louder. Focusing on the frizzy hair that disappeared every so often, Lara kept calling out to her best friend – assuring her she’d be back safely, and that she would miss her. As the boat got further and further away, and Sophie’s figure got smaller and smaller, Lara could feel Mason’s eyes on her.

She looked over her shoulder. The photographer was stood beside Conrad at the bow a few metres away, her arms folded across her chest, watching her from her distance. Lara just nodded at Conrad as she straightened up and tried to walk over as best as she could. He only answered by glancing her up and down again, tightening his lips as he did so.

“You okay?” Mason asked when Lara finally reached them, offering her forearm for her roommate to hold onto.

Lara politely declined, instead deciding on just putting her weight on her good leg. “Yep. Totally fine.” She replied, trying to say it a little prouder than it actually felt. Conrad just scoffed under his breath.

“There’s a physio onboard if you need him to look at your foot.” He commented, keeping his eyes focused on the approaching open sea.

Lara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “I’ll keep that in mind.” She also resisted the urge to suggest the physiotherapist should look at Conrad’s attitude, never mind her foot.

As if she could read her mind, Mason let out a small snort of laughter next to her, bumping Lara with her shoulder. It caught both Lara’s and Conrad’s attention, and they both stood a little straighter, glancing at her with confused expressions. Noticing they were both looking at her, the giggling woman cleared her throat.

“Something funny?” Conrad asked, his tone lighter and a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Mason shook her head, the big grin still playing on her face. “No, no, not at all. Nothing’s funny, not at all.” She mumbled, trying not to laugh. When Conrad raised an eyebrow, Mason chuckled again. She pointed at his shoe teasingly. “You’ve got toilet paper on the heel of your boot.”

They all looked down to see a long piece of toilet paper stuck just under Conrad’s boot and hanging out behind him. He looked embarrassed, trying to get it off subtly without anybody noticing. Lara suppressed a snort by covering her mouth with the back of her hand whilst Mason held no shame and just burst out laughing again.

“Sorry, I noticed it when we got back here. I didn’t want to tell you.” She told him playfully.

Conrad kicked off the paper whilst trying to proudly ignore the sniggers of the nearby soldiers. Lara allowed a small smile, avoiding eye contact the whole time. Instead she looked out over the sea, smiling wider when she noticed how the docks were getting smaller and smaller in the distance. Mason, noticing her new friend’s silence, bumped her elbow gently.

“Penny for your thoughts?” She asked quietly.

Lara gazed out at the deep blue waves thoughtfully, breathing in the sea air and letting it out in a long exhale. “Excited for adventure, that’s all. Happy to be back.”


End file.
